Flattery, also called adulation or blandishment, is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject. It is also used in pick-up lines when attempting to initiate sexual or romantic courtship.
Historians and philosophers have paid attention to flattery as a problem in ethics and politics. Plutarch wrote an essay on "How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend". Julius Caesar was notorious for his flattery. In his In Praise of Folly, Erasmus commended flattery because it "raises downcast spirits, comforts the sad, rouses the apathetic, stirs up the stolid, cheers the sick, restrains the headstrong, brings lovers together and keeps them united."[1]
"To flatter" is also used to refer to artwork or clothing that makes the subject or wearer appear more attractive, as in:
The king was pleased with the portrait, as it was very flattering of his girth.
I think I'll wear the green dress because it flatters my legs.
